Guest Columnist: Many challenges loom for region in next 25 years

Where are we going as a region? As Pattern for Progress approaches its 50th anniversary, we'll be asking this question a lot and looking to many sources for answers.

Jonathan Drapkin

Where are we going as a region? As Pattern for Progress approaches its 50th anniversary, we'll be asking this question a lot and looking to many sources for answers.

What we find may not please everyone. We expect that. Yet, to not challenge the Hudson Valley to be better means we are not doing our job. As one of our board members puts it, Pattern's job is to constantly try to move the dial in an effort to improve the region.

Recently, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) embarked on its Fourth Regional Plan. RPA is a century-old policy and planning organization that operates in the metropolitan regions of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For those who are unfamiliar with RPA, think Pattern on steroids. Often criticized for being Manhattan-centric, RPA is making a clear effort in its new regional plan to engage the entire region.

That's important, as the plan is meant to be a blueprint for the next 25 years. Pattern is just one of several groups in the Hudson Valley working with them; the effort also includes organizations throughout New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and Long Island.

Striking a positive theme, RPA frames the broader region's current status as a "Fragile Success" (see fragile-success.rpa.org). The report notes that the tri-state region has made enormous strides. People are again choosing to live in the metro area (mainly NYC). Parts of the economy are flourishing.

We would love to count the Hudson Valley as part of that description, but with the number of elementary schools closing, the flattening of our population growth and the number of counties in fiscal distress, it would be hard to do so.

As Fragile Success notes, "Opportunities are limited for too many people." It is simply true that more people live in poverty today than did a decade ago. And while jobs have been created, they are not the same jobs that existed before the Great Recession. Wages and benefits are lower. As RPA says: "For the bottom 1/2 of earners, incomes have dropped 14%."

The report continues by saying, "The rising cost of living threatens our prosperity and our quality of life." Just look at the percentage of income that goes to housing or student debt or health care. Fragile, indeed.

It says the suburbs are not growing the way they did in the second half of the 20th century. Job growth is weak. Affordability is elusive. That is the Hudson Valley story.

Another RPA observation examines climate change and the region's vulnerability. If we consider Irene, Lee and Sandy, how could we argue?

And lastly, it is RPA's contention that our governments are failing to make the hard decisions. As regionalists, we unfortunately must concur. Each government body often makes choices based on what is best for it and misses an opportunity to do what is even better through collaboration.

Yes, regionalism is not for everyone. But a more collaborative region is an imperative. As Pattern for Progress approaches its 50th year and as we look ahead to the next 25 and beyond, that is clearer than ever.

Jonathan Drapkin is the president and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a nonprofit research, policy and planning group that seeks solutions to increase the vitality of the region. jdrapkin@pfprogress.org.